Our First Review of HARRY POTTER & THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX Has Arrived!!

Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.
I’m most interested to see Gary Oldman in this one. Loved him in the third, and this should be a chance to see him really rip it up. So far, the trailers are just a hint of what we’ll see, and I’m sure Potter fans are ready to see the whole thing. For now, this review, which hit my inbox while I was out of town, is going to have to do:

I should preface by saying there are a few mild spoilers, nothing that will ruin the film but if you want to go in completely unspoiled don’t read. If you want to know if your favorite part from the book was done well but don’t want too much detail it is safe.
Approximately a week ago when I was purchasing tickets at AMC River East in Chicago, to see The Number 23 (not nearly as bad as many critics say by the way) I received passes for test screenings for two films. One film was the new Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard film The Brave One, the other was a secret. All it said was that it was a new holiday film from a major Hollywood studio and that it was geared more toward the younger audience. I am not the biggest fan of Jodie Foster’s mediocre run lately so I decided to see the latter film instead.
Once we got in, a man announced they were excited for us to be the third audience anywhere to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Needless to say everyone went nuts. I was hoping this is what it was but the flyer said the film was PG and everyone seemed to think it was going to be Shrek 3, so I was pleasantly surprised. I am not a big Potter fan; I don’t like the way Rowling writes so I only read the second book in its entirety, and passed on the rest. I have however seen all of the films, which really only started getting really good with Cuaron’s “Azkaban,” which then was bested by Goblet of Fire in my opinion. The weakest of the series was without question Chamber of Secrets. So that’s where I stand in reference to the Potter franchise.
The film was a success in many, in fact most, aspects.
The acting is getting better and better and there were a few parts where Daniel Radcliff actually showed range. There really is no weak acting in the film and the standouts are Evanna Lynch as Luna Lovegood, and of course Gary Oldman as Sirius Black. Imelda Staunton’s Umbridge is good but wholly annoying. The movie moves along at a good pace until about halfway through and then gets bogged down a bit for most of the rest of the film. It is not horribly slow but it does drag, with the current running time being approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes there is definitely some editing that could be done to make this problem disappear.
Now I am going to get into some of what I marked on the card they ask you to fill out at the end of the screening. I was asked what parts I didn’t like. I put that I found most scenes with Umbridge in them were kind of slow and got tiring very quickly. I also found the scenes with Hagrid’s brother to be incredibly awkward and clunky, which in my opinion should be excised. What parts did I like? I loved the parts where Dumbledore’s Army was training, I really enjoyed the scene where Cho and Harry kiss, and there is a comment made by Ron shortly after that was hilarious and left the entire theater in stitches. Another scene I really liked was toward the end when Dumbledore and Voldemort battle. The effects were nowhere near finished causing this scene to be really awkward, but at a screening like this you have to be able to overlook the unfinished effects, and while the scene was not that long or anything it was done well and will no doubt look great. I love seeing wizards fight. A few other questions were which characters I liked the most which were Ron, Sirius, (which is a no brainer-Oldman is awesome) Luna, (as I understand it a lot of fans of the books were afraid of how her character would come off in the film, and she was my favorite character, so I guess they did something right. She was goofy and odd and a lot of fun and Evanna Lynch is probably the best of the child actors) and lastly Harry Potter. Radcliff seems like he knows what he is doing now and looks comfortable. Harry is not a slouch in this which I really liked because he comes off as being kind of a pussy in the other films even though he is supposed to be really powerful. In The Order of the Phoenix he is not yet some awesome wizard but he is kind of a badass. As I left the theater I initially felt that the film may have been as good as “Goblet” which as I mentioned I think is the best film. However something was bothering me about the film that I couldn’t quite put my finger on and then I realized what it was not much really happened. So yeah, I felt that not a whole lot happened, and this story could possibly have been squeezed into another film. Which is not to say it is boring, and there are some really good parts and it is not entirely unnecessary, I just felt that the lack of anything major knocks it down a bit in the ranks of the films. Another thing that bugged me was and this tells of the climax of the film so do not read the next paragraph if you don’t want to know…
We have yet another Voldemort confrontation at the end where he is not completely defeated. This is getting tiring, I really hope this stops now, I am sick of the main villain showing up at the end and then not being completely defeated only say the same thing can happen again at the end of the next film.
So if you liked the last two films style, you will like this. This film is not much different from the last entries in the series. I really appreciated the depth of Harry’s character in this, they actually give Harry something to do and he deals with some interesting things in a more real and rounded way. The character of Harry Potter is actually interesting in this film which makes up for some of the few mistakes in the film. Nothing was handled poorly in the film with the exception of Hagrid’s brother and possibly Umbridge’s scenes. I know you are not supposed to like her, but my god by ½ way through the film I dreaded seeing her on screen. This is something that could be fixed with editing though, and while I think a big part of the reason Hagrid’s brother played so poorly was because the effects at this point were understandably bad, to the point where there was almost no texturing or layering and no shadowing at all. I still think the film would benefit from doing away with him altogether. While I can’t say whether or not you will hate what they’ve done if you loved the books, I can say overall it was really good and enjoyable, though not necessarily the best in the series (this could possibly change when it is finished being edited and the effects shots are completed.) I am not an avid fan of the series, and I think the subject and mediocre writing of Rowling stops it from ever being an all around amazing series, and the Order of the Phoenix neither made me hate the series nor fall head over heels in love with it, but it was really good. This follows The Goblet of Fire making it the second best of the Potter films, which is saying quite a bit.
B+
If you use this call me Rosncranz.

The Mike Newell one was a bit of a disappointing return to the "slavishly follow the books" strategy of Chris Columbus. Cuaron made an actual film which can stand by itself. <p> Speaking of which, does anybody here know of any good forums where you can go and talk about the talented Mexican behind CoM? The IMDB forums have been completely decimated thanks to the insane year crusade of a 16 year old girl called "Einoreid" who has trolled both the Prisoner of Azkaban and Cuaron boards with relentless fervor each day for the past two years.

It's already been documented, but my favorite of the Potter films is 'Prisoner of Azkaban.' It's the closest, I think, to striking the right kind of tone for the Potter films, and it's also the closest to being wholly self-contained. A recurring motif about "letting go" and the loss of innocence was kind of shoehorned into 'Goblet of Fire,' and it sure looked very pretty, but overall it was kind of stultifying for me. I feel like it was very close to being a good film, but the filmmakers bit off a little more than they could chew. Plus, the way it ended with Harry being chipper really, really bugged me. ANYhoo... glad to hear you liked 'Order of the Phoenix.' Luna is my favorite character in the entire series, so to hear that she came off well in the movie makes me really happy. I'm interested in what you said about nothing much happening though. Rowling's books are kind of episodic (taking place over the course of a year as they do), so it's harder to notice whether the plot advances in any significant way. I never thought about whether anything major happened in OotP, so I wonder how that'll play on-screen. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to write this up for us, and Warner Bros., lock down Rupert Grint and Emma Watson for the last two films already!

That this guy is not a fan of the books. But the way he wrote this review it makes it sound like he thinks the Books come from the Movies and not the other way around. Quotes like "This story could be compacted into another movie" and "Voldemort is not defeated" seem ridiculous. Order Of The Phoenix was one of the largest books, if not the largest, cutting out Hagrid's brother although not a huge deal would definately anger alot of people and its not like the people that made the movie were like hey lets chuck in this giant monster. IT WAS IN THE BOOK. Obviously Voldemort wasn't defeated, I mean come on theres 2 more books after this one, and following that there are 2 more movies based on those books. If Voldemort got defeated who is going to be the antagonist in this wizarding world? Draco?
Cool review though, you liked the movies I liked so I'm confident that this one will be good as well.

This was always going to be the weakest film in the series. Not because the book wasn't any good, but the book is basically an exercise in misery as far as Harry is concerned. It shows Harry at his lowest point. He is tired angry and pissed of with everyone. No one other than his friends believes that Voldermort is back and the Ministry of Magic is doing all it can to discredit Harry and Dumbledore. It ain't a happy book and there are parts where Harry is really not a nice person. Not the best basis for mega-budget summer blockbuster. It was always going to be difficult adaption to do because of this. To hear that its up there with Goblet of Fire is very gratifying . I understand the comments about Grawp, Hagrids brother. I found them rather clunky when reading the book and would be the first thing I'd get rid off if I was writing the screenplay. Rowling has always been OK with sections of the books not making the films unless there was something relevant to the whole series, one of the few writers that understands that film and books are different media. If Grawp makes the final cut we can assume that he has role to play in the last book. All in all this review makes me able to look forward to film with some confidence.

It seems to really divide people but i think Order of The Phoenix is by far the best (so far) with azkaban second and most of my friends think the same. I'm always suprised to hear that people don't like it.

My opininon, Azkaban is the only good Harry Potter film, and actually that is a fantastic film. It is without a doubt the only movie which managed to capture the magic of Rowling's books. The scene in which Harry enters the Leaky Cauldron and we see every day magic (the guy stiring his tea cup) just did it for me. Goblet is okay I guess, but the magic was missing. Therefore I think it is sad that this review compares Order to Goblet, because Goblet was really just an action film. At least it seems they got Umbridge right. When reading the book you learn to HATE her after about 5 pages, and every page with her is dreadful to read. Dreadful, but necessary, and while Voldemort of course is the main villian in the series, the Minestry represented by Umbridge, are the bad guys in Order. Anyway, looking forward to the film.

Anyone who's read the climax of book 5 knows what I'm referencing. As long as that part is still in the movie, I'll be happy. Oh, and 'arry's lessons with Snape. The non-defeat of Voldemort is part of the book, but whatdya gonna do? Wasn't a huge fan of this one, anyway, because its plot is all kind of all over the place.

It sounds like all the problems with the film stem from the book- which is to be expected as the book was TERRIBLE. It should have been called "Harry Potter and the quest for the lost editor". Bugger all happens apart from him moping around like a spoilt child, with an almost redeeming battle sequence at the end. A crap book, by far the worst of the series (I generally quite like them)- and the film I was least looking forward to. It will still piss all over Transformers though.

This book is so frikkin dark and much a political thriller with cruel violence. It also has giants and giants are known to smash heads and eat limbs. So realy, PG sucks. Now, the dude lost me when he said Goblet was the best so far and Chamber the worst. Azkaban was the best film in terms of visial accomplishment but the screenplay was horrible of the books, leaving out major pieces. The second film thus, is the most succesful in terms of staying faithfull to the book yet still playing enough around with a new aproach. Pitty the visual style was to sweet. A Chambers screenplay with Alfonso directing would have been amazing. Another great failure in the fourth film is the music. Patrick Doyle should have been much more faithfull to the amazing work of mr Williams. He realy screwed up some major themes and payed it of with on of the most hideous love themes ever. A bit more loyalty to the established work would have been appreciated mr. Dull. I realy hope Hooper does it much better. Film 4 also lacked a lot in terms of story. The Quidditch worldcup was a disgrace. Building it up like a big fucking event and then cutting it of straight away as soon as Krum is introduced. Bloody bastards!!!! The FANS wanna see that match. A LONG AND GOOD PACED ADAPTION IS A GOOD THING!! Make the movie 3 hours long. It would sell even more. With all the story elements in place. Fuck the whiners. Potter 4 had nearly no character development, hell, you didn't even notice the people went to school. It was just, tournament tournament tournament, voldemort topped with a lame as priori incantatem without fawkes the phoenix (and theme). They should have added 30 minutes for some more school and character stuff, a little longer quidditch world cup and a better executed Voldemort scene. The perfect place to advance John Williams Tom Riddle music in to that grand dark theme for He who must not be named. Here's hoping they nailed Order, but the PG rating disappoints me a lot. I realy hope they didnt turn Umbridge into a silly typecast but maintained that strong manipulating sadistic character. She's like the Palpatine of Potter. Give her some balls plz. Make it cruel. Here's hoping.

That really is the theme of book 5, its Harry being repeatedly beaten down by everything the world throws at him. Puberty, male vs female relationships, bureaucracy, an evil mad wizard, and the point being that it finally makes him take control of his life and destiny, rather than just happening along as he does for much of the preceding books.<p>
It needn't be a strong certificate as there is little that is gory or scary in the book. My biggest qualm with movie 5 is how the plot will function since they didn't show the dementor's getting Barty Crouch Jnr at the end of Goblet of Fire. Pity, I really wanted to see a Dementor's Kiss.

You prefer the LOTR movies over the books!?!?
They have to keep Gwarp (Hagrid's brother) in the movie. There is going to be some giant on giant battle scene in book 7, along with what I could imagine will be an epic wizard battle. Whoever said that these are "mindless blockbusters for children" is an idiot. He obviously hasn't given the books and/or movies a chance. These books and movies are the exact opposite of mindless you fucktard.
Old Gravy you're a prick, someone delete that post.

They (the studios) give power to people like this guy. A person who chose to pay to see that turd of a movie The Number 23. This guy gets a comment card and thinks that he knows anything about how movies should be made. "I didn't like Hagrid's brother. Take it out." Who the hell cares what this jerk-off thinks? I certainly wouldn't want a movie changed just because I didn't like something about it. I'm sure the reviewer is a nice guy and I don't mean to sound rude. I just think the whole process is flawed.

calling him a jerk-off was probably a mistake, then. but i completely agree with you: it scares me to think that films like Order of the Phoenix are being messed around at the behest of folk who paid to see a fucking Jim Carey/Joel Schumacher movie.

I believe the above character has been cut Order just like the character of Ludo Bagman from Goblet. Ludo Bagman was cut from Goblet because he was just another Red Herring. So I presume Mundungus Fletcher has been cut because he is also a Red Herring which does give away a plot point for Deathly Hallows "Harry that little Git Kreacher has the CENSORED!"

Hagrid's brother was crap, but he wasn't finished so he'll probably end up not crap. Umbridge was annoying but she's meant to be. The wizard fight was awkward, but it will end up great. 1200 words and he basically said nothing at all.
And bagging out a Harry Potter movie for having a 2-1/2hr running time? I'm pretty sure the rest of the movies were really long as well. You'd think you would be used to it by now.

I suppose Hermione gets all of Ginny's lines in this film too? Infact I wouldn't be suprised if they did away with Ginny all together. How dare JK be bold enough to write the female lead and the Hero's love interest as two completely different people.

Seams like this film will be a blast, i quite like the harry potter books and the film add to the lazy factor which i like. Yet the story is the same in all the films it seams never to get boring to the point of losing interest.
I hated this book the most, but as it stands film two was deadfull so this may make it a tad exciting.
Book 7 on its way then 3 more film and call this bitch a WRAP !

and rather infuriating how movie goers always seem to be experts in the art of editing. If a movie is too long, BLAME THE EDITOR, if a movie is too short, BLAME THE EDITOR. For fuck's sake, editing is more than just cutting things out of a movie. It's part of the job, yes, but it's a whole lot more. And remember, the editor never has final say on the length of a film either. Directors/producers/execs do.

I always skip those passages when I re-read it. Pheonix is my favourite book. I love the Grimauld Place scenes, and I hope the snake/St Mungo's scenes are still in. And I always thought the ending of this book was the best. The Showdaown in the Ministry should rule all!

How can they go back to a PG rating for this movie? Its at least as bad if not worse then Goblet of Fire... at least the book. And last I checked by this book the series was no longer geared towards a younger audience, but rather geared towards all readers, young and old. Am I wrong in saying that once you get past the first book or two (which I still think are great) that these books, to paraphrase Stephen King's remarks, stop being Children's Literature and become simply Literature?
I mean most people that call Potter kiddy are people who never read the books.

In my humble opinion... Goblet was my favorite book I think, though Phoenix did get better then I remember on second read through (I re-read it before book 6 as I didnt remember alot... thats the problem with that book I guess, all the other books I remember most of what happened, but book 5 I forgot most of it). Currently I am re-reading whole series to get ready for last one and am on book 2 haha.

Because he is in other books in series for a reason, and I think he is going to play a big part in last one... The giants he brings to the good side sort coming in when the good side seems about to lose or something like that.

was boring when I read it and I was mostly negative about it. There were some really great parts inthe book but they were surroundd by alot of padding.
Hopefully the movie will focus on the positive aspects of the book.

JK is a competent writer but has fantastic imagination...which makes her books good overall. The best potter movie is easily Prisoner of Azkaban and HP5 was a book which needed severe editing. All the problems this reviewer has complained about were problems within the novel itself. Over 800+ pages we learned nothing new and nothing important happened except for a tacked on death. Half-blood Prince is a much better book and should make a great movie, especially if Alfonso comes back.

She's the biggest fucking CUNT in the history of fictional literature. If she's not annoying in the movie then the film will suck. And if (SPOILER) the part where she is completely PWNED by the Weasley twins is not in the film the movie will suck. And this guy complaining about Voldemort being defeated is a little out of place. He does know this is the 5th of a 7 book series right?

I wouldn't say we learn nothing new in the Phoenix. We do get a bit of back story on the Harry's father's time at Hogwarts and his relationship with Sirius. And this book more than any other develops Ron's character and that of his family. Not to mention the first real control Harry shows over his powers and his immergence as a leader. And there is his psychological dance with Snape throughout. I do agree that the book has a lot of setup but major events occur in the book with the death of a main character as you mentioned but there is also the near death of another main character. I think to say nothing new or important happened is a little unfair.

Goblet of fire while visually stunning, sucked otherwise. the director, screenwriter, editor, cut way too much of the story essential to the Harry potter plotline out of the movie. Goblet focused way too much on the tournament instead of important things like say the return of voldemort. also the handling of barty crouch, the quiddich world cup, and everything from the maze on out was handled piss poorly. They missed every essential element of the book in the movie. with the size of ootp it would be impossible and boring to see every little last detail, however they need to do a better job of adapting the book. here is what should be in the movie; the dementor attack, harry's rescue from privet drive, harry at the headquarters of ootp, the trial showing fudge in all his nastiness, ron and hermione being made prefects, harrys return to hogwarts and the rough treatment from classmates and especially umbridge, umbridges cruel treatment of harry, percy turning to the dark side, harry's continued dreaming of the dep of mysteries, the formation of the da, the snake attack of mr weasley, the quidditch match where harry and the twins are given lifetime suspensions by umbridge, occlumency lessons' with snape, dd getting sacked and taking out 4 people, snapes worst memory, the da getting busted, the confrontation between gwarp, the centaurs, harry and hermione, from this point on the film should be vertbatim from the book. no added crap go with what is in the book.

I've said since I read the book, that it's not my favourite book, but I think HP6 could potentially make a fucking fantastic film, possibly the best in the series. The friggin ESB of the Harry Potter movies. God I wish Cuaron would direct that one.

It's been about two years since the last time I read it, but I remember the pacing being slow and the story really getting consistently engaging in the last third of the book (as these usually are.) Seemed Harry whined throughout the first 2/3, with only sprinklings of interesting Potter/Voldemort backstory to keep things going. If Umbridge's character elicitied a "dreadful" feeling whenever she showed up, then it probably means they nailed her on the screen b/c that's what her character is supposed to make you feel. That's how the kids in the story feel and it sounds like it has been translated well for the movie. <p> HBP should make a great flick, leading up to the penultimate Potter movie. <p>Can't wait, such a fan.

Oddly enough, most people in the industry do not like Williams and his approach. I know. It sounds stupid but it is true. He was hired initially because of Chris Columbus and their past collaboration. Williams was too busy to work on the 2nd film so William Ross, a frequent orchestrator of Williams and a composer as well took on the duties. As for the 3rd film, Cuarón says it himself in the DVD extras: they made me use Williams. And he was genuinely surprised how well it came out. Since Azkaban, it seems that there is more of a concerted effort to have British talent fill the top slot. Could this be for some sort of tax break reasons? Maybe, but I would think that it has more to do with Rowling and he stated desire to have the films be a British effort. Need I remind you about the first film: She wanted Terry Gilliam to direct it, while the studio announced it was going to be Spielberg with Haley Joel Osment to start as Harry! Can you imagine? Having said all of that, I go back to what I originally said: most industry people do not like Williams' music because they feel that it is: too over the top; too bombastic; draws too much attention to itself; force feeds the emotion to the audience; too old fashion... whatever. They are losers and the man is a true genius... and his is conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic tonight! I already got my ticket.

then barely literate adults started reading them and Rowling modified the tone a little. At the end of the day it's still Tolkien Lite, and if this derivative series is the epitome of modern literature, then that says more for the state of modern literature than it does for Rowlings skill as a writer.

I just wanted to clarify that Evanna is not a such a good actress, the thing is that in real life she is like her character, so she doesn't have to act. That's why they casted her, it's a good casting, but it doesn't mean that she is a good actress, just the best for the role.
About the review, thanks. Maybe you should read the books, because for example you say Harry is supposed to be very powerful. Well, Harry has something special, but we will only know in the last book, that's why in the first movies that was not showed. What it's showed in books and movies is that he is very good with Defense against the dark arts.
And don't worry because this kind of plot is not repeated in the next book.
And I think a lot of people should read that modern classic, Tony award winner, or see the movie adaptation that won 3 Oscars nominations. Of course I'm talking about Equus, some people show they don't have the slightest idea what the play is about, you see too much tv, and read too much rubish, instead of that you should read more clasic plays like this one.

Anyway, good review. But I must respond to Err's wonderful theory, esp. the part about Neville. Order finds its strength from, duh, the members of the Order and to see the other kids step up and fight is what makes this book really resonate and sing. So I was a little surprised the reviewer didn't comment on this part but so be it. Neville is not to be trifled with!

And a great read. I read loads of books, all different genres, classic and old, and the Harry Potter books are among my favorite. My opinion are they are superb works of fiction and the state of contemporary literature as a whole is better because of them.

Like someone else just said, if this is the epitome of modern literature then we are simpleminded morons compared to our predecessors. I'm sure our grandchildren will cover Harry Potter when they take 20th century literature in University. They'll squeeze a unit in there between F. Scott Fitzergald, Vonnegut and Hemingway. Count on it. J.K. Rowling can be credited with getting kids to read, and that's about it. Wizard school? That's the big original concept that everyone goes soft for? With painfully precious character names like Dumbledorf and Snape? The first two films were so incredibly saccharine that it hurt. Alfonso Cuaron managed to make a pretty movie but I was still completely dumbfounded by the inane plot and dismal character work. There are some great character actors in the franchise and they all try quite hard to make the cloying personalities their own but somehow the roll-your-eyes childishness of Rowling's writing shines through. And although I have read only a small fraction of the Harry Potter saga (think tiny) I can criticize her writing because I am speaking directly about plot and character; fan consensus seems to be that the movies get it pretty close (and would get it closer with a longer running time) Kids love this stuff, fine. Your kids love this stuff, fine. You like it too? OK. But it is still fluff, don't try to elevate it to the level of great art and if you do follow it up with "culture is doomed".

I really enjoyed this review. Mostly because it reviewed the movie and not the movie with respect to the book. Sure, I think a lot of Rosncranz's questions would have been answered if he had read all the books, but who cares. It's nice to have the perspective of someone who has seen all of the films but hasn't read all of the books, the same way it's nice to read a review of a comic book movie not written by someone who grew up reading the comic books and can't see past their own youthful version of the character to give a decent review to a decent movie.

Wasn't part of the prophecy that Voldemort will mark him as his equal... the scar being that mark? Now I am also thinking that Harry has the last horcrux inside him somehow (but to make it the scar? A scar ? Thats idiotic... how can it be a scar? Thats not even really a physical object. Thats a damn line.) I think maybe he put the horcrux inside harry, and thats what caused the scar. Then again I think JK knows thats what most people think, and thast why Harry is going to die, so she might try to make us think in that direction and surprise us.
But anyway, that scar is how Voldemort marked Harry as his equal, so the prophecy is definitely about Harry

That's fine, people like it. Go ahead and like it, my criticisms will still stand. My point behind the vitriol for Harry Potter is that mass popularity doesn't mean it's going to be left standing as art in a century or two. The Backstreet Boys won't make the cut either. Way it goes.

Gwai Lo, by that arguement, fuck all will be left standing as art in a century or two. We live in a soundbyte, headline reading age. What d'you think will be around then from the last twenty, twenty-five years?

So.. Stephen King, Tom Wolfe, etc are simple adults? They also praise the books and say they are not childrens literature, but fine works of literature in general. Are you really so jealous just cause you can't write a thing? Will Harry Potter be around in 50 years? I would say ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT QUESTION. I mean to think it won't be is kind of ignorant... Jeez, Gwai, you sound like the simple minded one. And basically the definition of Ignorant. "And although I have read only a small fraction of the Harry Potter saga (think tiny) I can criticize her writing because..." Um.. actually no you can't. You can only criticize that which you know. You can't base your opinion on a little bit. Judging without full knowledge, thats simplemindedness.
Yea, I just wathched the first 10 minutes of the Godfather and didnt like it... therefore the whole movie must be horrible. I mean jeez.. you were judging the books, and you admittedly haven't even read the.
What a wannabe intellectual you are lol.

Hi there! This is my first post here. Anyway, thanks for your review rosencranz. Actually you didn't mention any of the Occlumency lessons with Snape and Potter. I enjoyed them so much in the book and wonder how they will turn out in the film. Any comments?

All his complaints don't really make sense. Yes Voldemort goes on, but almost all of the death eaters are captured in the end, it is better than the Prisoner of Azkaban (not that the movie was bad) where no one dies or gets arrested or whatever. And he makes no mention of HBC at all. The Grawp (Hagrid's brother) I think could've been cut but whatever it doesn't bother me. When Umbridge comes on the screen you are supposed to be filled with hate, thats what you felt in the book. He makes no mention of Hermione. He doesn't mention Snape and the Occulemency lessons. He doesn't mention the flashback scenes. He doesn't mention the prophecy. He doesn't mention a lot.

and I think the subject and mediocre writing of Rowling stops it from ever being an all around amazing series,
_________________________
This comment after a poorly written review had me in stitches.. you prick .. haha

Having just re-read OotP, and knowing now what I learned from HBP, the book is MUCH better than it was the first time around. I admit, it wasn't my fav then, and isn't still, but I've gained a whole new appreciation for it. If you haven't read it again since you've read HBP, I def. recommend doing so. One thing I could stand to see is a new trailer, though.

He writes with the same broad strokes style. He and Rowling both know how to make something very easy to read. My writing is fine, thanks. And if you finished reading my sentence while you were lambasting me for not reading something you'd notice that I am criticizing the plot and characters she came up with. She should get partial screenwriting credits, couldn't she? I mean she made the whole mess up. I was mostly judging the movies, and had to judge Rowling in the process because she wrote the damn things. I equate Harry Potter with Eragon, they're both derivative and tedious. My original comment was that Cuaron should stick to stuff like Children of Men, a true masterpiece in its medium, instead of carrying the hollow appeal of something like Harry Potter with his talent.

First of all the movies are great. so its not a waste of anyones talent. And Harry Potter isn't hollow. Again these are just your opinions that you are trying to pass off as fact. Its insulting. You are acting like one of those people who thinks their opinion is fact and basically are belittling everyone who thinks differently by saying "hollow" movies, "simple minded adults" etc. I mean it makes you sound like a 10 year old honestly, or just a very pompous egomaniac. It is my opinion that Rowling did great work with the characters and how they grow as they age from book to book.

Of course Voldemort isn't 'completely defeated' at the end of every Harry Potter film/book! That's the whole point. What would happen for the rest of the series? Harry deals with odd feeling he gets after seeing Ron in the shower? Hermione contracts a magical std? Besides, it's all explained in Book 6, anyway. And, Rowling is a good writer. She's no Herbert or Kerouac, but she's very fluid without being patronizing to her younger (or older) readers. Just wanted to put MHO out into the vast void of cyberspace. I'll go back to the corner now.

I'm going to bed. Have been up all night. Know that when I get riled up about something I will proclaim my opinion as fact. Don't anyone mention the movie Signs. Enjoy the wands and that big broomstick game and whatnot.

Rowling seriously needed a cutthroat editor with this and 'Goblet of Fire', somebody not afraid to say flat-out "This is sloppy and needs to be tightened up by about 200 pages". So I would expect some serious excision in the film. "Half-Blood Prince" though, was an vast improvement with a much stricter POV. Probably second only to Azkaban as far as the books go. Off topic: Where the hell is a Pirates 3 trailer? Isn't the release only like 2 1/2 months off now? What's going on there? I mean, not even a teaser? Seems weird.

is much better than this one. More details, more knowledge of the Potterverse, and seemingly more understanding of how a film is made. And this guy goes on and on about Grawp, while the other reviewer says that he's only in a couple of scenes.

Order of the Phoenix was always the best book because EVERY SCENE IS RELEVANT! And this guy comes in and says, "I hated Hagrid's brother and they should take out Umbridge because she's mean." Just thinking about the test screening process makes me nasceous.

Listen, I'm really thankful for the review and all but I don't think this guy should have been allowed in that theater. He thinks Umbridge and Hagrid's brother should be CUT? Are you crazy? You'd have the 5 million Potter fans (that's NOT an exaggeration) up in arms. I'm not going to hunt you down for insulting JKR's writing, however if you're going to write a review at least be informed! Come on! What Kind of journalist are you? Voldemort should be defeated in the end? READ THE BOOKS! The movie comes from the books not the other way around! WB can't have Voldemort defeated in the end of OotP, nor can they cut major plot points such as Umbridge or Hagrid's brother. Nor can they combine the 5th and the 6th and call it Order of the Phoenix. They have to stick to the book at least somewhat... sorry, but someone else should have written this.

Gwai, you're right that Harry Potter won't be included with Vonnegut, Hemmingway, and Fitzgerald (who'd be in an AMERICAN lit class), but it will definitely be remembered on the order of, say, Peter Pan or CS Lewis; 'children's literature' that goes beyond its supposed target audience.
And just a note of personal taste, who'd want to be remembered with F. Scott Fitzgerald anyway? Dry as hell and not worth the effort.

I think he's a bit off base with some of his criticisms. There is NO way that the whole Order of the Phoenix book could be stuffed into another movie. There are lots of very important events in the fifth book and it certainly warrants its own movie. I think it's wrong to say that nothing important happens in the movie because if it stays true to the book, then this is the time where Sirius Black dies and Harry finds out about the prophecy that shapes his future with Voldemort. Unless they cut those parts out, which I doubt they did, then I don't think it's fair to say nothing important happens.
Also, the whole premise of the Harry Potter series is Harry's struggle with Voldemort. Harry does not confront Voldemort in every book, (i.e., Prisoner of Azkaban and Half-Blood Prince) and even when he does, these confrontations are essential to the plot. J.K Rowling is not going to change her plot because somebody who doesn't appreciate the books finds that aspect of the films boring.
I don't mean to ramble, but the fact that he complains about the length of the movie also shows that he has no appreciation for the story. I like the fact that the film was not rushed because it gives more justice to the book.
All in all, it's good that he took the time to review but in all honesty it would be nice if it came from someone who actually cared about the books and what they're all about.

Baum not only gave us Oz, but also "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" where there's some elves who adopt Nick and he becomes some kind of fucking elf-general-king or some psychedelic shit.<p>Rowling has contributed IMMEASURABLY to "Children's" Literature. This is up there with Narnia.

The book was my least favorite of the series. Way too long with little happening and way too much moping from Harry. By the half way point I was convinced at the end it was going to be revealed Harry was under a spell the whole time. The book kicked in well when Harry forms the DA and of course the finale is great but it's a tough slog to get to the good stuff. Luckily "Half Blood Prince" redeemed the series in a big way.

you have no appreciation for anything potter. this movie is vital to the series, and could not be placed in another, as a sort of demi-plot. delores umbrige is supposed to be more than 'annoying' she is supposed to be evil, and you can't cut hagrids brother. and luna is your favorite? you lack the regard of a fan, and someone should smack you for your disregard, you should have seen jodie foster.

that many of you are fans, and therefore do have sense harry potter wise, you bring about good points i failed to mention. the writer, not bieng a fan, should never have been handed a review card and it's clear he has no idea what the point is of the movie. this was one of my favorite books, and number two, not three, was my fav. movie. they didn't get enough book in, and put too much extra in.

but i agree his reading of Dumbledore in GoF was way off-base. Similarly, i think Newell is usually an excellent director, but it's plain he had no feeling for the Harry Potter books, otherwise GoF would never have been as bad as it was. it still amazes me when folk like the reviewer declare GoF their favourite potter movie.

I am really surprised at a lot of the comments and the review. First of all, I thought Prisoner of Azkaban was the worst of all the movies simply because it left out multitudes of the storyline. The Marauders were never even introduced as Harry's father and friends. Viewers didn't even know the importance of the stag patronus. And as for Order of the Phoenix, I always get slightly upset when people say that the book is bad, or useless, or boring, or too long. The facts in that book were absolutely necessary and I was extremely pleased to learn so much back-story and to meet so many new, fantastic characters. As for the fifth movie, cutting Grawp out would not be a good thing for most who liked the book. I believe he will be important in the seventh book, and cutting him out now will only add to the confusion later. Of course Voldemort isn't defeated yet. That would obviously not serve the books or the series justice, and what would you do with the other two movies? (talk about nothing happening in a movie.) As for Umbridge, I'm excited that she's so annoying and awful, that's how I envision her. As for the comments against J.K.R.'s writing, it's in my opinion that it's rather obvious that the series is already an extremely amazing series with or without those who think her writing is "mediocre."

Dumbledore's army? 'Don't remember that. Oh. You're talking about the group of friends who train in the hidden room. Or are you talking about the Order of the Phoenix itself? Sirious and friends at Sirious' house? With Tonks and the lot? I haven't read the book in a while so I forget mention of Dumbledore's army. As
for "Not a whole lot happened." That's the same with the books. Order of the Pheonix is by far the least interesting of the books. Its more of a background
check than anything else. I'd classify the first book as the worst book, but 'Pheonix' is pretty much widely accepted as the one that has the least going on. Another thing I found with 'Phoenix' is that Potter became incessantly winey in
it. Almost too annoying to bear. So he seems right in the film? That's a good thing. I was wondering if people were going to be rooting for Voldermort by the
time the film was finished. Sounds like the found a fair balance for the wineyness.

The guy liked Number 23, and trashed Rowling as a writer. He then proceeds to ramble on and on with run on sentence after run on sentence. Not to mention the numerous spelling and grammatical errors. Also, great comments...I don't like Hagrid's brother, dump him...Umbridge is annoying, dump her. Dumb @$$, Umbridge is SUPPOSED TO GET ON YOUR NERVES! Hagrid's brother's FX are not finished! He didn't even talk about Bellatrix! WTF! Bellatrix is one of the best parts of that book. Yes, OoTP is a tough book because the good guys are thwarted throughout the book, and the bad guys have the upper hand, and then eliminate a great character at the end. The whole point of that book was to show that Harry could no longer ignore who he was and what he had to do. Putting together Dumbledore's Army and training the other students in spell fighting was exactly what he needed to do. The end of the book where they go to the ministry and end up in the fight is worth all the other 6,000 pages before and will be worth the 2 hours of film time before it happens. Mark my words, unless the director really screws the pooch, that end part should be truly epic. Something that will give geekgasms for decades. ~ÐL

But virtually EVERY writer needs and depends on a solid editor, and somebody dropped the ball on both GOF and OOTP. This is not to say you need be slashing content, but the way it's presented and the structure is not nearly the marvel of economy and storytelling that some of the early books were, particularly PofA. There's a lot of fat in those books narratively speaking, and it drags down and diminishes Rowlings obvious natural gift for spinning a good yarn. And Half-Blood Prince proves the point...it's just as long, but it's a radically different book from the two preceeding it in it's overall approach to the story. After the opening, she keeps a very strict POV that serves the narrative brilliantly. It absolutely feels like somebody finally stepped up and helped her whip it into better shape and as result, her skills are shown off far better and are enhanced exponentially.

I really like the book funnily enough. Rowland took a brave decision to (well not an every level) dispense with set pieces and startling revelations and twists, and deliver a meditation of coping with loss and pain. However, I'm really really worried about the film.
What will be the crux of the film? How will they convey the point of the story? What is the point of this paticular chapter, that Harry realizes he has to kill Voldermort?
That sounds a bit weak when you decide to hinge an entire film on this premise.
Each volume previous in the story ended with an integral plot point being revealed...The Order Of The Phoenix is 'the deep breath before the plunge'. The story takes a side-step to focus on Harry and Sirius's relationship before the 6th book pulls us back into the main plot.
On the surface, is no war, no real attempts on Harry's life, and no clear motive to where the story is going.This is not a bad thing, but it will be Interesting to see how they pull it off.

I really like the book funnily enough. Rowland took a brave decision to (well not an every level) dispense with set pieces and startling revelations and twists, and deliver a meditation of coping with loss and pain. However, I'm really really worried about the film.
What will be the crux of the film? How will they convey the point of the story? What is the point of this paticular chapter, that Harry realizes he has to kill Voldermort?
That sounds a bit weak when you decide to hinge an entire film on this premise.
Each volume previous in the story ended with an integral plot point being revealed...The Order Of The Phoenix is 'the deep breath before the plunge'. The story takes a side-step to focus on Harry and Sirius's relationship before the 6th book pulls us back into the main plot.
On the surface, is no war, no real attempts on Harry's life, and no clear motive to where the story is going.This is not a bad thing, but it will be Interesting to see how they pull it off.

I honestly haven't talked to many other fans of the books or read other reviews of it...my take on the book is simply as someone who reads a ridiculous amount of fiction, though admittedly usually more literary fiction than fantasy. In my opinion, it's simply a superior book, from the plotting and characterizations, to it's choice of POV and it's noticeable use of focus within the dramatic devices. It works better a a piece of fiction that still fits very well into the larger story context than the. Again, in my opinion, GOF and and OOTP are markedly padded and I found myself often 'editing' as I was going along, many passages contained redundancies and felt very much like the sort of writing one does when one is actually working toward a point, rather than actually making it. And that's the stuff you generally edit out. Anyone who says differently is certainly entitled to their opinion and all that, but I can't possibly agree. It's that dramatic of a difference to me.

In my opinion OoTP is the best book, yet. (Lunas quidditch commentary in book six might have me change to book six, but I'll have to reread it first...) For those of you who say that nothing happens in book five, I say it's actually the opposite, it's because there are so many storylines that it is so long... Which I personally like. What amazes me is that it seems that almost every important plotline (apart from the hospital scenes with Arthur Weasley, Neville's parents and Gilderoy Lockhart, and of course SPEW) has made it to at least this screening... I just hope the finished film will have both content AND will flow better than GoF.
To Gwai Lo
While I do actually agree with Tomo (lighten up), I feel an urge to say a thing or two about your second (?) comment because I think you got it wrong about that fan consensus. I for one think that the movies lack the depht of both characters and plot contained in the original books. (Not to say I think the movies are all bad...) So before you talk about J.K. Rowlings writing (whether critizism or praise), I suggest you read the books, not see the movies. (But I must say I do like your writing, free from exaggerations, bad language and that kind of stuff you can expect to read on forums...)

Okay so basically you said it yourself you're not a Harry Potter fan. These movies are made for these fans. End of story. Done. You can argue all you want but that's the truth. So, since you're not a Potter fan, you don't get it. Umbridge is supposed to be annoying you're supposed to dread seeing her. And you can't just take Grawp out. That'd be like let me go make some pasta, but I really don't think I'm going to boil it in water. And don't get me started on this film has no point. If you don't like Harry Potter then of course this has no point because you don't care about it to begin with! But if you care the slightest this movie has a huge point. So much is learned in this book that will be needed to know in order for the final book to be understood and appreciated. Even though I haven't read the last book yet (duhh) this is obvious just from statements JKR has made about the final book. And don't even sayy that she isn't a good writer. Like what on EARTH is that about? Like any of us could write anything half as good as her. And have you seen her foreshadowing???? Bad authors don't foreshadow like that. JKR is to foreshadowing as Elvis Presley is to music. And by the by. Radcliff is spelt with a flipping E. RadcliffEEEE. Right so imma go cool down now....sorry to be so rude...

The first 2 stories of Harry Potter dealt with the wonder of magic as it all was so new to him. The third book is where the stark reality started to set in, with the Dementors and Sirius's suffering. Then the 4th book took time to reveal the true darkness that is Voldemort. The 5th book is disliked by most as it is the least "happy." Harry spends a lot of time being miserable and whining that nobody takes him seriously, until the end when the "dark side" caused a lot of damage. The sixth book was so good, it made the 5th book better. It proved (at least to me) that the 5th book not only prepared Harry for what happened in book 6, but us readers as well. It showed both the darkness of Voldemort and his ilk,
and the marvel and power of Dumbledore's world. The wonder of magic is still there, but it isn't hitting you over the head like the first 2 books/movies. The wonder is in the details. ~ÐL

I'm hoping the movie doesn't bog down as the reviewer suggests, because that's exactly the opposite of what I'd hoped for this one. I've enjoyed all the films so far, but felt that every one of them had a bit too much story stuffed into its running time; GOF, especially, felt like a rushed-through summary of key plot points. But with OOTP, I thought: perfect--here's a book that had lots of filler in it. Long, repetitive sequences involving Umbridge, the story going round in circles for long stretches. Turn it into a film, and it will be easy to trim it down into a tight, exciting story, as there are certainly enough cool bits in the book to fill a movie. Give proper screen time to the early bits with the OOTP, Dumbledore's Army, and the terrific end sequence, and the rest is an easy connect-the-dots. It seems stunningly obvious to film it that way. But if this reviewer is right, and the film has basically preserved the proportional amount of blah from the book...what a huge mistake. I'll still see it, but it'll be a big letdown if the filmmakers don't take advantage of this book's thinner plot to create a more satisfying movie. (And that goes double for The Half-Blood Prince, most of which felt like being stuck in a waiting room before being let into the actual plot points toward the end.) Love the heart & soul of these books, but 3 & 4 are looking more like the exceptions than the rule.

JK Rowling is a bad writer?? When did this happen? Has he been reading a different version to the rest of us? I also think that the Grawp scenes were choppy because they are unfinished. I am very sure that Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be a great movie.

drag. There is so much going on in the books that if you don't get the focus right it will seem very uneven. However, I really don't get the dislike for the last film, I thought it actually was a nice companion to Curaon's swan song to the end of innocence. Newell's film is slightly more chilly than Curaon's and rightly so. However, he deserves to be smacked for the Eurotrash goth prom band scene. That will date that sucka.

As someone who's not reading the books, that was the worst movie. You could tell a lot had been chopped out, but having not read it, it was doubly frustrating. And the action scenes were terribly directed.

And people should just stop trying. The movie is going to make hundreds of millions of dollars, regardless. People ignorant of the HP world should just stop trying to sound cool by making "interesting" comments on what they "think" about it. WE DON'T CARE! To anybody that knows ANYTHING about the books, there was nothing in that review worth mentioning.

Mediocre? JKR is a mediocre writer?!?! Oh for god's sake! Have you ever re-read YOUR writing??? Grammar errors everywhere, and it was not very interesting at all... I think you're the one that should seriously start EDITING... and not the filmakers putting good parts of the book in the movie. If you don't like Harry Potter you don't have to go into detail and tell us why... especially when you have no logical reason.

not much happens on the book, there's a big shock at the end but I remember most of the book being about people not believing harry about voldemort being back, until he shows up, and then someone dies and that's it, the end, then there's the army stuff but that's barely mention on the next book so it leads to nothing

First, he discedits himself right off the bat by saying he liked THE NUMBER 23, then he calls JKR a bad writer, even though he admits he hasn't read the books (and can't write his own way out of a fucking paper bag, by the way). Then he makes a series of stupid statements about the content of the story and the series in general. Harry is NOT supposed to be particularly powerful. Hell, fucking Hermione is better at magic than he is. Umbridge is the best character in the book and she is SUPPOSED to be annoying and oppressive. The reviewer's blithe comments about cutting her scenes are an insult to the fans. The single dumbest thing the reviewer complained about was that Voldy doesn't die at the end. Does he realize that this was a book FIRST? Does he realize that Voldy is the villain of the entire SERIES of books and not just a one-off Bond villain? Also, he said he really liked the kissing scene. What kind of a douchebag would pick a fucking kissing scene as his favorite part? Did a 12 year old girl write this review? Plus he never said anything about Hermione or Snape. As to the length, does anybody else get tired of people trying to make themselves sound like they know anything about movies by talking out their asses about how the whole thing could be trimmed down to 90 minutes? It's such a pretentious, hackneyed, unimaginative thing to say. How sad is it that numbskulls like this get handed cards and have their vacant opinions taken seriously? The test screening process is such bullshit. If Shakespeare had to test his plays with yokels like this, Romeo and Juliet wouldn't be allowed to die at the end and Hamlet would end with all the characters having a party and lip-synching a motown song.

To me it's just OK. She does possess a very dry, British style. But to me the use of certain terms just turns me off to her writing period. Names that have the words "dumble", "mort", "muggle", etc. just come off a little too kiddy for me and pull me right out of the books/movies. In otherwords, names like Voldemort don't strike fear into my heart. Names like Sauron or Darth Vader and such are much more effective and don't insult the older audience. Not to say that Rowling's writing is bad because it's not, just not my taste. But then again I'm not making billions either so fuck it.

I find it a bit funny that the viewer counted Ron as one of his fave characters in the film; without giving his reasoning to that. I mean, he liked Luna and Sirius for thier acting, and Harry, cause, as a character he's more intersting, but he didn't mention what made him like Ron!

Yeah, it's kinda weird when Harry calls Peter "Wormtail" in 4 it's really weird. Will Percy be in it? Where is Bill? Why wasn't he in the last one? Doesn't he marry Fluer? Would it cost to get a big red-head dude to hang w/the dragons? Why not go more into the giant stuff in Goblet if you are bringing in Gwamp? Will Lockhart be in this? They MUST have Longbottom's partents!

Napolean D: " If Shakespeare had to test his plays with yokels like this...Hamlet would end with all the characters having a party and lip-synching a motown song" I would pay to see that. <p>if this reviewer is correct and they are insisting on going down the "relationship" route then they may as well retitle the next one "Harry Potter and the sordid wank fantasy"- 2 1/2 hours of Harry fevrishly polishing his wand whilst imagining Ginny Weasley doing things that are illegal. Even in Amsterdam. What fun that would be.

yeah, it's much grimmer than many of the previous books but then it's meant to be. Goblet of Fire was building up to a triumphal finish when suddenly Harry gets teleported to human sacrifice central and gets to watch Voldermort's grisly revivification. that should be enough to fuck anyone up for the summer (one of the many faults of Newell's Goblet of Fire film was its failure to capture this shift in tone from triumph to despair). OotP begins on this dark note, and gets darker: not only is he being oddly isolated from all his friends but he comes back to school and everyone acts like nothing's happened. worse, they think he's a liar. much of the book is an exercise in persecution and self-doubt. and the culmination of OotP is basically the same as Empire Strikes Back: the hero choses rash action over wisdom and restraint and ends up getting tricked into an unnecessary confrontation that results in the loss of someone close. like the ending of Goblet of Fire, it's an antidote to the the easy trimphalism of the earlier books, when Harry always triumphs despite the odds. this time, the odds bite him in the ass, knock him down, and continue to kick him while he's laying there. OotP isn't perfect: like all the later Harry Potter books, it could use a good editor, and the whole teenage anger thing gets a little worn (although perhaps it's meant to). but i reckon OotP is probably the most underrated Potter book and, if done right, could be one of the strongest films.

The ONLY country in which Scholastic is the publisher is the United States. In the UK the original publisher is Bloomsbury, and they are NOT a childrens' book publisher (in fact, they are one of the most prestigious publishing houses in the world. A look at their roster of authors is enlightening, to say the least.) So Scholastic made the highest bid in America- SO WHAT? I sell books for a living, and any reader will tell you the Harry Potter books are the best thing to happen to the business in many, many years. The books are not childish in the least when you dig into them, and the only people who are referring to them as "kiddie" books are woefully ignorant of the publishing history, supporters, and actual content of the books. When the best-selling authors of the last three decades all rally around a new author and heap praise upon her, you can bet there's good reading to be found. I feel sorry for you pussies who are so worried about your image that you have to be careful not to be seen enjoying Harry Potter books because you think they'll make you look uncool or unsophisticated or something equal banal. --- A reader READS, and these books are excellent reading at any level. --- This reviewer is a dolt. I'm sorry, but Grawp is important to the future, as is Professor Umbridge. It's as if the people who don't read the books are afraid to let the books be anything BUT kiddie books, and are actively working to retard the plot development in the movies to justify their aversion to Rowling's writing.

I think ther review also left out that not only does Voldemort not defeated, but we don't know why Dumbledore trust Snape, and several other questions. Ohh that's right the books don't end until after the Deathly Hallows. The review reminds me of when LOTR's came out and people didn't read the books to know it was a 3 part story. The people that think the Goblet was the best movie tend to be the people that didn't read the books. As this person starts off as saying. The worst part of Goblet was that they cut out everything. I hope that the 2 hours and 30 minutes quoted stays more than is cut. The last movie should have been 3 hours. I hope that this person's ranking of saying it is second to Goblet is a good sign that true Harry Potter fans will enjoy this movie better than the last.

Wow. Way to be a COMPLETE retard. Obviously you can't kill off Voldemort, yet. They kind of have to have 7 books, right? Also, you can't just take a whole character out! Especially one like Grawp. There are too many scenes with him in it, & he's kind of a big character. If you're going to review a movie, you might want to read the books, first. If you don't read the books, then you don't really understand the whole story because, NEWS FLASH, they can't put all the details in the moive! They left a ton of stuff out in the fourth one & they probably left way more out in the fifth one, seeing as it's a lot longer. You're kind of an idiot for thinking that you know enough about Harry Potter to be able to review a movie. Nice job.

By the way, I just read some other reviews for the test screenings from REAL FANS who actually READ THE BOOKS, & they said it was the most detailed fil yet & it was exactly how they hope it would be. Just in case anyone wanted to know what a real fan thought of it.

You are judging something you haven't even read. You are basing your opinion on the movies, which aren't the books. The person you really should be criticizing is Steve Kloves, who writes the scripts. If you read the books, you would see the characters are MUCH different than in the movies. Kloves likes to simplify things and put all the characters into neat little categories. J.K. Rowling's characters are very fleshed out and one of the best parts of the books. You should limit your opinion to the films, as they are your only reference. J.K. Rowling doesn't write the scripts, she only sees if something contradicts something she will write later. Mike Newell (the director of Goblet) even said that he was surprised how uninvolved she was. The movie people don't even know what's going to happen in the series! Please separate the two. It breaks my heart a little to have someone equate Kloves' awful dialog and characterization to Rowling.

He's the worst kind of snob. The kind who feels superior to others, but who's taste fails to back it up.
He doesn't understand that brilliance comes in different shades. Just because it's "simple" doesn't make it any less of an achievement. On the contrary, often refining elements down to their simplest form, but still managing to entertain, proves to be most challenging of all.
So, Rowling uses well-worn archeotypes. They are well-worn for a reason. We can relate.
Gwai can go on being smug and feeling superior about the children's books he struggled to get through. He can waste his time making uninformed predications about what will stand the test of time.
I'll continue to enjoy Rowling and Nietzsche.

whoever thinks J.K. Rowling is a mediocre writer is an idiot. Maybe you should actually try reading more of the books =](GASP!what a thought!) but yes the review was good/helpful & i cant wait to see it.

Contrary to what people have been saying on this thread, I personally can see where this reviewer is coming from. Playing devils advocate here, I personally think that if I wasn't an avid fan of the Harry Potter series myself, I probably would think that Grawp in the movie was pointless. Heck, I'm a fan and i still think Grawp is kind of pointless. So not to sound like some old parent here chiding his kids, I think that hammering him about not reading the books is a tad unreasonable. I agree, though, that he should read the books before criticizing the movies, but nevertheless, it is his choice of whether he wants to or not. But enough of my "why can't we all just have peace among the thread-commenters?" speech. In my opinion, Order of the Phoenix was one of the best books in the series. I get sick of the stereotypical, paradigmed "happy people, happy plot, happy ending" books. Order of the Phoenix is a good example of a book that is popular but isn't sugar-coated and leaves the reader with a happy feeling. I mean, come on, things don't always work out in real life, so why should they in books? Having problems in Harry's life throughout the whole book makes it seem more realistic, even though it deals with fake things. Even if everyone else thought that Order of the Phoenix was the worst book, I still enjoy it and am looking forward to the movie. I only hope that it captures the magic (no pun intended) that Rowling created in book five.

This person obviously has not read the Harry Potter books. Without the Grawp scene a lot of things would not be able to happen. And anyways, of COURSE Voldemort isn't defeated! Or else what the hell would she write about?! There would be two more books left in the series. I guess she could write how they all lived happily ever afer, when Voldemort is gone. Rowling has a reason for everything she writes about.

This person obviously has not read the Harry Potter books. Without the Grawp scene a lot of things would not be able to happen. And anyways, of COURSE Voldemort isn't defeated! Or else what the hell would she write about?! There would be two more books left in the series. I guess she could write how they all lived happily ever afer, when Voldemort is gone. Rowling has a reason for everything she writes about.

gosh u know nothing!! at all!! JK Rowling is an awesome writer and u cant say anything about that....shes the millionaire do you think you can do better??? OMG AND MR COMPLAIN ABOUT LENGTH~>>>>> THE LONGER THE BETTER!!! gosh u soooo did NOT deserve to watch that screen play!!! I CANT WAIT TO SEE IT I BET IT ROCKS!!!!

a lot happens in book five and the movie probably......and there are very important parts in the book and order of the phoenix is my favorite!!but seriously ORDER OF THE PHOENIX IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE!!! some people are totallt out of their minds!

a lot happens in book five and the movie probably......and there are very important parts in the book and order of the phoenix is my favorite!!but seriously ORDER OF THE PHOENIX IS A REALLY IMPORTANT ONE!!! some people are totallt out of their minds!

Im so glad you enjoyed the movie even though you arent truly a Potter fan. If you were, you would have read the books. Of course the villain wont be defeated until the 7th book. It wouldnt be much of a series if Voldemort went away in the 5th, now would it? I dont know how much of the book was left out, but Grawp plays an important role in this book as well as the next. But, again while I think its great that you enjoyed the movie overall, (that gives me a great deal of relief since there could have been so much wrong with a slow moving book) you cant fully appreciate any of the movies without having read the books.

Because, if you had, you'd know that all of the stuff you want out, us Potter fans want in there because it makes SENSE. Umbridge is very much hated. If you didn't hate seeing her on screen then something would be terribly wrong with you. Everyone laughed when you said it could have been put into another movie, or how did you word it? "...this story could possibly have been squeezed into another film." ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? It's over an 800 page book!!! There's no freaking way. SORRY. Us fans would give anything to see an extra HOUR or more added onto that. And the bit about Voldemort getting away? I could write a book about that... goes with you not reading the books. Anyway, there were a lot of things that irked me about this review. Don't put down the books if you haven't read them. If you don't like JKR's writing style then fine, but I think you're a bit crazy for thinking so. For her to write, and write well I might add, teenagers growing up through school, years 1-7 and ages 11-18, she did it amazingly. The development of characters is honestly incredible. I really wish you'd read ALL of the books. In fact, I suggest it.

ok..i thought it was really nice that someone posted a review of what they saw so far in the Harry Potter movie, but i honestly got a little irritated when Rosncranz kept saying that they should cut all of this stuff out of the movie..1- he didnt even read the books so obviously he doesn't realize that people will get pissed off if certain things are left out..lol..you can't just take them out..duh..FYI - the movies are based on the BOOKS...2- Of course the ending is always going to be with voldemort..thats why reading the books help..there are 2 more series after this one(OOTF)..and ALL are gonna include voldemort...3- as for "squeezing" this one in with another one..your crazy..this book it one of the most important and longest of all the others..idc what anyone says...this is going to be the summer's biggest movie..and i cant wait for it..and i know many others that can't either! so yea..im done now :) thanks for the reveiw

The fact that you liked it is a good thing, but since you haven't read the books, your review is lacking. Firstly, DUH Voldemort isn't going to be completely defeated. J.K.'s still got two more books after this one. Also, you're not supposed to like Umbridge, she's the one everyone loves to hate. You said that nothing much happened in this movie, but again, you haven't read the books. While it may not seem like much happened, a lot happened, but you won't realize is until the second book. OOTP is a bit of transistion book, and opens up a lot of questions to be answered in the sixth or seventh books. Since you hadn't read the books (close minded person!) I thought your review was okay, considering. Thanks for letting us know what's going to come.

Hey. Glad you liked the movie. But seeing as you only read the 2nd book, this review isn't really much because it's coming from someone who hasn't read the books. (i know i'm being repetitive) You keep saying how mediocre Rowling's writing is. If you gave the other books a chance you would find out that her writing improved BIG TIME. Because to be honest, I didn't like the first two books either but I didn't totally give up on them, did I?
Anyway.
Your review annoyed me at parts. Especially when you kept saying that they should take out Grawp (Hagrid's brother) and Umbridge. IF YOU READ THE BOOKS, you would know that these two characters are a pretty big part of OOTP. I'm almost sure that Grawp will be playing a major part in Deathly Hallows (Book 7), so he can't be taken out can he? And as for Umbridge, you're SUPPOSED to hate her. You're SUPPOSED to be annoyed by her. As for your annoyance of Voldemort not being shown until the end of the movies and escaping....it's SUPPOSED to happen that way. THESE MOVIES ARE BASED ON THE BOOKS!!! The REAL battle between harry and voldie-poo isn't until the 7TH BOOK which has not come out yet. (i'm totally excited though! :DD) And as for making the movie shorter.....ARE YOU CRAZY!? This is the LONGEST book out of all 7 books! Not to mention the most important. Taking things out now would be terrible. =/ REAL HP fans would be furious. It would be bad business for WB if they took more stuff out. Since they already cut out so much as it is. *cough*quidditch*cough* But I must say that I'm relieved that Evanna Lynch has played the part of Luna well. :]
Although I'm not too happy with this review of yours, I must thank you for writing it anyway. I'm still gonna go see it. It's gonna be the biggest movie of the summer! :DD